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Re: [pct-l] Foot changes

Bob,

>Among the many trivial things that I wake up thinking about for our trip
>has been the problem of shoe size changes during the hike.  I would like to
>be able to purchase or use some of my heavier boots for the snows in the
>Sierras, but if they fit now how will they be later.  I have spent upto six
>weeks on the trail at a time, and never had a real problem with my feet
>swelling, but Jardine, and other accounts indicate that the heat of the
>desert and the continual walking may cause shoe size to expand by one size.
>What is the collective wisdom out there on this?  Or ist it as varied as
>our feet? : )  

  Personally, I don't think it's worth wasting time worrying about.  I used a 5
lb. pair of Fabiano's all the way from Mexico to the Columbia River then
replaced them in Portland with another pair of just slightly lighter.  I had no
camp shoes, nothing else to use except bare feet.  Other than the usual
blisters at the start (not bad), I had no foot problems.  Maybe I was lucky.  I
did not notice any significant size change in my feet, though they were
slightly swollen most of the time.  Maybe someone who had the opposite
experience would share their tale to balance this out.

  By the way, I carried a 5 lb. tent the whole way too.  This was not the era
of lightweight hiking and having it made me feel more secure.  I think in these
discussions of tarp vs. tent (and I would carry a tarp now), we should give an
idea of the weather we experienced as that might be a big factor for someone's
decision.  I don't think it rained or snowed on me more than 10 times at night
and I used my tent maybe half the nights if that, so you can see that I carried
that tent the whole way for little benefit, but I never minded its weight and
was glad to have it there if needed.  I guess I'm not a good example of how to
do this trip since I carried my ice axe all the way too.

Alan
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